Noon!
Li Xi ran over again, still smiling brightly, his face full of wrinkles, looking quite comical.
"Boss, after the office closes tonight, I'll treat you to a fun place!"
Li Xi leaned close to Xia Chen, saying mysteriously with a lewd smile on his face.
He was quite bold. Although he was just a small squad leader, several Ranks below Xia Chen, who was a Captain, he directly called him "Boss" to show closeness and shorten the distance between them.
Xia Chen looked at him strangely. This Young Master wouldn't be trying to take him to some brothel or a pleasure house to listen to music, would he?
Entertainment activities were scarce in this world, and evening activities were even fewer. They were nothing more than drinking, listening to music, looking at girls, and then the projects involving deeper interaction after looking at girls.
Therefore, the "deeper interaction" industry was very prosperous in this world.
However, brothels were considered high-class establishments in this industry, equivalent to high-end clubs, and the girls inside were incredibly beautiful.
But the consumption there was also high; sleeping there once would cost at least half a year's income for an ordinary family, and this was just the lowest tier. If one wanted to sleep with a courtesan, money alone wouldn't be enough.
Under these circumstances, pleasure houses naturally flourished. Although their Rank was lower than brothels, they were cheap, offering good value for money, and ordinary families could afford them with a bit of effort.
Therefore, they were naturally more sought after.
To be honest, Xia Chen was indeed quite looking forward to these places. Although he was a gentleman, he also wanted to enjoy himself with others.
Upholding this philosophy, Xia Chen readily agreed to Li Xi.
"Just right, I have nothing to do tonight. Seeing how mysterious you are, I'll go with you tonight!"
Xia Chen patted Li Xi's shoulder, "This young man has a future!"
Li Xi left Xia Chen's military tent with a joyful face and began to arrange the evening's activities.
"Being a leader is great. Entertainment and relaxation are all arranged for you. You don't have to count money yourself or worry about anything. But does this count as a different kind of foot massage or KTV? The scale should be even larger!"
Xia Chen thought with a strong academic research mindset. He wanted to see just how intense the cultural clash between the two worlds would be tonight.
...
...
Time came to evening. Nothing major happened all day. In the afternoon, Xia Chen followed his subordinates on a patrol. The capital was extremely prosperous.
Xia Qian, who was behind Xia Chen, was dazzled by the sight.
Along the way, Xia Chen also passed Princess Yaoguang's, glancing at the two imposing large lions standing in front of the Princess Manor, weathered by time.
He took one look and then withdrew his gaze, not looking any further.
In addition, Xia Chen familiarized himself with the roads, mainly figuring out the locations of several brothels.
Xia Chen paid attention to these not for his own pleasure. He was a true gentleman, Cao Mengde—bah, he was a Young Master who abstained from female charms.
In the evening, the Young Master who abstained from female charms, accompanied by Li Xi and bringing Xia Qian, secretly left the Yulin Guard Barracks and slipped into a small alley.
The further Xia Chen walked, the more he felt something was off. This route was completely opposite to the brothels and pleasure houses he had researched during the day!
"Hehe, Boss, it's a fun place, for listening to music and watching dances."
By this point, Li Xi no longer concealed it, his face creased with laughter.
"I know Boss comes from the Zhendong Marquis Manor. The Marquis Manor has always been strict. Before breaking through to the Eighth Rank Realm, you're not allowed to go out freely and must diligently practice in the Marquis Manor, let alone stay out overnight.
I imagine Boss has never been to such places. Today, I'm treating you, to let you experience our capital's night culture."
Xia Chen hadn't replied yet when Xia Qian's face behind him flushed. He wondered why the Young Master wasn't returning to the Marquis Manor tonight. It turned out he was going to such a place.
Speaking of which, he hadn't been there either, but he had heard some servants in the back kitchen talk about it, saying that such places were the most wonderful in the world, and once you went, you'd never want to leave.
"This direction isn't towards Su Yu Street, is it? Aren't brothels and pleasure houses mostly concentrated on that street?"
Xia Chen asked calmly, while inwardly he grew alert. Could this be a trap?
Was the Zhao family trying to get revenge, specifically luring him into this dark alley tonight to retaliate?
Li Xi seemed to notice Xia Chen's inner vigilance and quickly said,
"Pleasure houses for listening to music are still a bit low-end, not fitting for the Young Master's status. Brothels are good, but the Young Master's status is special, and those places are crowded and have too many eyes. If it gets out and ruins the Young Master's reputation, that wouldn't be good.
So I specifically found a courtyard called Qingya Abode. This place allows you to listen to music, watch dances, and even stay overnight. Everyone who enters here wears a mask, so privacy is very good!"
Li Xi whispered as if taking credit. The news of Xia Chen's engagement to the Second Imperial Princess was already well-known in the capital, and he naturally knew about it.
Xia Chen looked at him strangely. This Young Master was indeed thoughtful. Could he really be a genius?
In the Great Wu Dynasty, frequenting pleasure houses was nothing unusual. In fact, in recent years, it had been praised by literati, turning into an elegant affair. Among scholars, if one hadn't visited such places by the age of twenty, it was considered a disgrace to a scholar.
After learning this, Xia Chen sighed with emotion. Scholars truly had thick skin and knew how to have fun. Not only did they frequent prostitutes, but they could even take pride in it. No wonder during the Empress's Great Unification period, the "deeper interaction" industry was explicitly prohibited and suppressed.
As a result, when players like Xia Chen later entered this world, they all lamented endlessly. The good old days they hadn't experienced or enjoyed were gone.
Some players even thought of rebelling against the Empress because of this ban, overthrowing the Great Wu Dynasty's rule, and restoring masculine glory.
Of course, that person was later directly slapped to death by the Empress...
"I thought you were going to take me to the Imperial Music Bureau?"
"Boss, you're joking. How could I afford the Imperial Music Bureau? Just getting in costs five taels of silver, and drinking and listening to music at a table cost extra. As for sleeping with a girl, don't even think about it without ten taels."
Li Xi shook his head, his eyes full of longing for the Imperial Music Bureau. He had heard that the girls inside were so fair they looked like they could be squeezed for water.
And more importantly, most of the girls inside were the wives and daughters of officials. Perhaps the girl one slept with was the wife or daughter of a former superior or colleague. The pleasure brought by such status was something money couldn't buy.
The Imperial Music Bureau was the top entertainment and leisure venue in this world. Most of the women inside were the wives and daughters of officials who had committed crimes. This kind of resource was incomparable to brothels or other venues.
Along the way, Xia Chen remained silent, listening more and speaking less, hearing Li Xi introduce some precautions. In his mind, he formed a clear concept of such pleasure houses.
These pleasure houses weren't entirely about flesh trade; that would be too vulgar. So, they evolved to include cultural activities favored by literati, such as listening to music and even poetry and prose.
The more elegant they were, the more sought after they became.
And this Qingya Abode that Li Xi was taking them to today was similar to such a place.
Of course, the core business of staying overnight was naturally available. Otherwise, would everyone really be idle at night, just going to listen to music and recite poetry?
Soon, the three walked into a secluded alley and arrived at a courtyard. This courtyard perfectly blended with the surrounding residential buildings. Only in front of the courtyard gate were four simple characters written—Qingya Abode!
Those who didn't know would think this courtyard was just a simple residential house.
...
【"When the Great Ancestor was young, he was devoted to the Dao and was then serving in the Imperial Army. A colleague invited the Great Ancestor to drink and have fun at brothels and other places at night. The Great Ancestor said: 'When one is young, one should devote all their strength to the Martial Dao, and not waste time like this, indulging in female charms.' He then resolutely refused. From then on, the Great Ancestor's Martial Dao Realm advanced daily, far surpassing his colleagues."
—"Xia History", Volume One, Annals of Emperor Taizu】